Sunday, June 19, 2011

Can't Believe the WaPo Published This

I've had some problems posting on certain blogs (lookin' at AK and Exford!), but I wanted to comment on a piece that I found out about at Mr. Edroso's place. I can't believe that the Washington Post printed Peter Moskos' call to bring back the lash. I can't believe that this piece isn't satire- Mr. Moskos proposes lashings as a humane (?...!) alternative to incarceration, while paying lip service to criticizing the prison-industrial complex and draconian drug policies. Of course, he couches his op-ed in terms of humanitarian concerns, but it's hard not to hear the heavy breathing of the torture-porn fan in the background. How would "impartial" lashings be administered, would a Lash-O-Matic be used to ensure that racial or other animosities would not come into play when lashings were meted out? What kind of follow-up care would one receive after a lashing? Damn, this article is a repugnant piece of garbage, unworthy of a serious news organization. Besides, any new written argument for corporal punishment (and, for that matter monomachy) pales when compared to Gene Wolfe's magnum opus.

About Me

The Big Bad Bald Bastard is a character played by Monsieur _______ of the City of Y______. The role of the Bastard is a handy one to play on subways, walking the streets, and in dive-bars, when being a nerdy, bookish sort is not to one's advantage.